Significant mental and physical demands can at times be imposed on a professional truck driver due to long hours of driving and extended time away from home. The task of driving a large truck hauling a heavy load in varied geographical regions under various weather and road conditions tends to limit the opportunity for the driver to engage in simple physical activities while driving, such as merely standing up to stretch, much less walking. A driver typically remains basically sedentary for a number of hours while having to pay attention to road and traffic conditions.
Truckers realize that the largely sedentary nature of such a lifestyle may not be conducive to staying in top physical condition, but for whatever reason or reasons, may not engage in healthy activities when they have the time and/or opportunity to do so.
Access to services and products that might promote good physical and mental well-being are often limited or unavailable while a trucker is on the road. For example, food choices at truck stops may be limited, and “fast food” meals may become a staple of a trucker's diet while on the road.
While truckers may experience fatigue and lower body discomfort after being behind the wheel for an extended time, they may not purchase products or services that could potentially alleviate those conditions because they may perceive little or no value in them. Recognizing this seemingly low motivation on the part of significant portion of the professional truck driver population to seek solutions to such issues, the inventors believe that a product that would be helpful in alleviating certain aspects of driver discomfort would be well-received if embodied in a way that is not only functional, but also appealing to the lifestyle and typical values of a professional truck driver, especially the great pride they take in their profession and the particular truck they drive.
The shoe that is the subject of this invention is believed to be such a product.
A survey of professional truckers has disclosed that a driver's shoes are quite important to his/her job. A significant number identified at least some degree of discomfort due to issues that included one or more of: foot sweat, athlete's foot, lower back ache, poor foot circulation, and ankle and shin soreness. The survey attributed a greater discomfort to issues involving foot sweat, tense foot muscles, and athlete's foot. A number of truckers noted what they considered a lack of useful, useable, and desirable products that could address those issues.
A percentage of truckers, suggested by the survey to be greater than 50% of the driver population, carry both work boots and tennis shoes in their truck, and a significant portion of them also carry slip-on shoes. Truckers have indicated that they drive in either tennis shoes or slip-on shoes due to comfort and convenience, but that they change the more comfortable footwear to less comfortable work boots when they have to get out of their trucks. Therefore, while a boot would be understood not to be a preferred driving shoe, it is nonetheless important to a long-haul trucker.